�鶹ӳ����ý civil engineering students sailed to the top of the Concrete Canoe Competition at this year’s American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Southeast Student Symposium. �鶹ӳ����ý’s ASCE student chapter clinched first place, defeating a field of 13 teams that included Georgia Tech and the University of Florida, which has placed first for 13 of the past 14 years.

The victory qualifies �鶹ӳ����ý to compete at the ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships in June in West Virginia where nearly 20 teams from North America will compete for the top crown.

“Many of the other schools were chanting ‘U-C-F’ with us when we won because of how significant the moment was.” — Edward Collazo Borges, �鶹ӳ����ý ASCE chapter president

“Winning first place in the Concrete Canoe Competition was exciting, but doing it in such a competitive region and against a program like UF — which has such a strong history in the event — made it even more meaningful,” says Edward Collazo Borges, the president of the �鶹ӳ����ý ASCE chapter. “From the outside, it may not seem like a lot, but this was huge — not just for �鶹ӳ����ý, but for every school in our region. During the awards ceremony, many of the other schools were chanting ‘U-C-F’ with us when we won because of how significant the moment was.”

History of the Competition

ASCE is recognized as America’s oldest national engineering society and sponsors student chapters in all 50 states and internationally. �鶹ӳ����ý’s chapter was established in 1972 and is the largest engineering organization on campus.

ASCE’s Concrete Canoe Competition was first officially held in 1988, but the history of Concrete Canoe goes back to the 1960s, when a small number of ASCE Student Chapters began holding intramural concrete canoe races.

This elite competition — known as The America’s Cup of Civil Engineering — combines engineering excellence, hydrodynamic design and racing technique as students are tasked with building a canoe from concrete and racing it against their competitors. Students are judged on the final product, race performance, technical design paper and oral presentation.

A Breakthrough Year

Jacob Quinones, the �鶹ӳ����ý ASCE vice president and project manager for the Concrete Canoe Competition, says the team’s performance at this year’s Southeast competition was a result of steady progress from lessons learned during previous races.

“Extra time was poured into every aspect of the project to maximize quality and performance,” Quinones says. “This would not have been possible without the entire team’s passion and dedication. It was apparent that everyone involved wanted to be there and contribute their absolute best.”

�鶹ӳ����ý ASCE took home a total of 12 awards from the symposium, including two additional first-place wins in the Concrete Cornhole and Temporary Traffic Control competitions. The group says they last won the concrete canoe competition in 1995.

In addition to the competitions, the symposium offers professional and personal development opportunities and networking.

“I learned just how much it takes to manage a project through the different ways that it tests you and pushes you past your limits,” Quinones says. “I feel that I grew as a leader and gained so much respect for those in similar positions across the entire industry.”

For Borges, this victory represents a historic win for the university and sets an example for other ASCE student chapters.

“You always have the opportunity to achieve something great,” Borges says. “I think this experience shows if you keep pushing, keep learning and keep striving to improve, you can surprise yourself with what is possible.”

This year, on April 5, we will be hosting a day-long celebration to recognize our exceptional students, faculty, and employees for their pursuit of excellence and impact.

We hope you will join us at these special events, held in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union:

Employee Honors Celebration

9 a.m.-noon

During the morning ceremony, staff employees will be honored for their years of service to �鶹ӳ����ý — including those who have served �鶹ӳ����ý for 40+ years — along with additional awards for employees who are pursuing excellence and helping to unleash potential in others.

Faculty Honors Celebration

3-5 p.m.

During the afternoon ceremony, faculty will be honored for their outstanding contributions along with awards for years of service to �鶹ӳ����ý. Honorees include our newest Pegasus Professors, Reach for the Stars award recipients, college and university Excellence Award winners, and Emeritus and Emerita members of the faculty and administration.

Student Honors Celebration

6:15-8 p.m.

During the evening ceremony, students will be recognized with the highest honors they can receive during their time at �鶹ӳ����ý, including induction into Order of Pegasus, College Founders’ Day Deans’ Awards, and recognition for exceptional research as an undergraduate or graduate student.

Meet the alumni, leadership and faculty singled out in various industries.

Education

Degrees: Bachelor of Science in elementary education; Master of Educational Leadership; Doctorate of Educational Leadership

�鶹ӳ����ý president

Tourism and Transportation

2019 �鶹ӳ����ý Honorary Alumni Award recipient, member of dean’s advisory board of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management and a charter member of the �鶹ӳ����ý Board of Trustees

Degrees: Bachelor of Arts in journalism

Politics and Government

Degrees: Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies;��Master of Nonprofit Management; Master of Public Administration

Degree: Bachelor of Science in marketing

Entertainment, Sports and the Arts

Degree: Master of Business Administration

�鶹ӳ����ý School of Performing Arts faculty

Business

Degree: Master of Business Administration

Degree: Bachelor of Science in accounting

Degree: Master of Business Administration

Degree: Bachelor of Science in computer science

The Ones to Watch

Bachelor of Science in finance

Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice

The award was presented Friday during the Golden Brick Award’s virtual celebration by Thomas Chatmon, executive director of the Downtown Development Board, and Josh Wyche ‘14, executive director of the DOP.

“The �鶹ӳ����ý’s downtown Orlando campus has defined the new standard for partnership in this community,” says Wyche. “This project will impact our city center in ways that no other has ever done before. �鶹ӳ����ý Downtown is truly woven into the fabric of our city …��this unique partnership project ignites cultural growth that binds our community together.”

�鶹ӳ����ý Downtown, in partnership with Valencia College, serves more than 7,000 students who live, learn and work in downtown Orlando. Opened in August 2019, this transformational project that increases access for students, provides pathways into high-demand career fields, fosters collaboration with neighbors and improves countless lives through the power of education.

�鶹ӳ����ý invested $114 million into the downtown campus, which features 350,000 square feet of classrooms, learning support, and specialty teaching spaces, including a mock courtroom, computer labs and a maker space, all specifically to support academic programs downtown. Strong partnerships with employers and real-world experiences help �鶹ӳ����ý graduates to be competitive applicants in the Central Florida talent pipeline.

“We are honored to have been selected for this prestigious award,” says Ross Wolf, interim assistant provost for �鶹ӳ����ý Downtown. “�鶹ӳ����ý is known as a partnership university, and we could not have achieved our vision for this campus without the support we received from our community and educational partners. Students enrolled at �鶹ӳ����ý Downtown have access to the latest technology, unparalleled academic advising and student support, and countless opportunities to gain industry and practical experience within minutes of the campus. We are already having a big impact and are looking forward to continuing to play an important role in the growth of downtown Orlando and throughout our region.”

The campus offers more than 20 degree programs that were specifically chosen for the downtown campus to enhance students’ ability to gain hands-on work experiences. For example, in downtown Orlando alone, there are more than 760 legal-related businesses or organizations where legal studies students can intern or work.

The shared campus model also leverages �鶹ӳ����ý’s partnership with Valencia to help decrease the cost of a four-year degree by about $6,000 as compared to the average Florida State University System degree.

�鶹ӳ����ý worked with many partners to make the campus a reality including: the City of Orlando, Orange County, Creative Village , Dr. Phillips Charities, Valencia College, Ustler Development Inc., DEVEN, Robert A.M. Stern and SchenkelShultz Architecture, Baker Barrios Architects, CannonDesign, Walker Parking Consulting and C.T. Hsu + Associates Architects, and construction teams from Skanska and PCL Construction.

UnionWest at Creative Village, the privately developed, 15-story building that houses student services including admissions, financial aid, student health center and more than 600 beds of student housing, was also awarded a Golden Brick Award for commercial development.

During June, July and August, W�鶹ӳ����ý celebrated the Summer of Space with programming and community events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Programming included “” and its own one-hour documentary “.”

“We are truly grateful to be recognized by NETA for our work during the Summer of Space,” says Phil Hoffman, W�鶹ӳ����ý executive director. “As Central Florida’s Storytellers, the Summer of Space was the collaborative efforts of the W�鶹ӳ����ý team to tell the stories from our own backyard. We are honored to be recognized for our work within the Central Florida community on a national stage.”

The NETA Awards honor public television’s best work in education, community engagement, marketing/communications and content. Awards are judged by a group of expert panelists within the public media system, as well as industry professionals outside of public media.

Thomas Cavanagh, associate vice president of �鶹ӳ����ý’s Center for Distributed Learning, received the Outstanding Leadership Award. The award recognizes leaders who “excel within their organization, consistently reaching out through mentoring, sharing and collaboration.”

Cavanagh leads a team that develops �鶹ӳ����ý’s distance learning strategy, policies, and practices, including program and course design, production, and assessment. He has led e-learning teams in both academic and private industry and is an award-winning instructional designer, program manager and faculty member.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized with the USDLA Outstanding Leadership Award,” Cavanagh said. “It’s an honor I gladly share with the entire staff at the Center for Distributed Learning. The team here at �鶹ӳ����ý truly is outstanding.”

Also the team of Charles Dziuban, Patsy Moskal, Jeffrey Cassisi and graduate student Alexis Fawcett received the Quality Research Paper Award from USDLA, given to authors who produce a research paper that has the potential of making significant advances in the area of distance learning.

Dziuban is director of the Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness at �鶹ӳ����ý and has been on the faculty since 1970. Moskal is the associate director for RITE and has been at �鶹ӳ����ý since 1989. They have been leading the impact evaluation of �鶹ӳ����ý’s distributed learning program for the past 20 years.

Cassisi is a professor in �鶹ӳ����ý’s Psychology Department and has been a faculty member since 2008. He is one of the early innovators in adaptive learning pedagogical methods. Fawcett has been developing innovative data analysis techniques during the past two years.

Their paper focused on a study related to �鶹ӳ����ý’s adaptive-learning initiative, revealing significant new insights into this growing area of technology-based education.

“The research team at �鶹ӳ����ý is deeply honored by this recognition and validation that comes with it. Most certainly the future of impactful research will involve the collaboration of many disciplines- all of which add value to the new science of learning.”

The recipients received the awards Monday in Indianapolis during the USDLA 2017 annual national conference. USDLA was founded in 1987 to support research, training, development and best practices among e-learning communities.

These international awards are presented annually to organizations and individuals engaged in the development and delivery of distance learning programs.

“USDLA enjoys honoring leaders within the industry,” said John G. Flores, executive director of USDLA. “Each year these recognized leaders raise the bar and exceed best practice expectations for the industry as a whole and we are truly honored by their contributions within all distance learning constituencies.”

The Outstanding Service Project Award went to the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (NSMH) �鶹ӳ����ý Chapter for their contribution to the local community through their collaborations with Colonial High School, Bethune Cookman University and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, among others.

The Campus Engagement Award was awarded to the Knights Special Events Society for continuously encouraging students to participate in their meetings, site visits and networking opportunities with local event industry professionals.

The Campus Innovation Award went to the Future Theme Park Leaders Association for creating “Workshop Wednesdays” that helps students learn about personal branding, interview skills, elevator pitches, resume building and more.

The Rosen Life V.I.P. Award was presented to the Association of Bridal Consultants for their dedication to student involvement in the community, Rosen College and Rosen Life events throughout the year. Some of their achievements include participating in the Memory Mall Relay for Life and hosting celebrity wedding planner Susan Southerland at one of their meetings.

The Creative Collaboration Award was given to both Late Knights and the Rosen College Apartments for working with Rosen Life to host the first successful late night programming event on campus, “I Love Rosen.”

Finally, senior hospitality management major and Miss Hospitality 2016 Erica Flint was awarded the Rosen College Legacy Award. For the second consecutive year, Dr. Abraham Pizam, dean of the Rosen College, partnered with Rosen Life to recognize a student’s outstanding professionalism, leadership, involvement on the Rosen campus and in the hospitality industry, and enrichment of the Rosen college student experience. A panel of faculty members selected Flint to receive the honor along with a $1,000 scholarship.

The Outstanding Service Project Award went to MPI Knights (affiliated with Meeting Professionals International) for their contribution to the local community through their partnership with Clean the World.

The Campus Engagement Award was awarded to the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) for their continuous student participation in professional development activities at Rosen College and main campus.

The Campus Innovation Award went to the Knights Special Events Society, a relatively new student organization, for their success in helping students interested in the events industry network and get hands-on event experience.

Finally, the Rosen Life V.I.P. Award was presented to the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (NSMH) �鶹ӳ����ý Chapter for their consistent student involvement in the community and at Rosen College and Rosen Life events throughout the year. Some of their achievements include hosting a Salsa Knight with Rosen Life for Hispanic Heritage Month, planning the first at Rosen College and creating the event program for Hospitality Week.

In addition, junior event management major Julie Ludwig was named the first recipient of the Student Leadership Award. Dr. Abraham Pizam, dean of Rosen College, partnered with Rosen Life to create this new scholarship to recognize a student who not only excels academically, but also demonstrates professionalism, leadership and service in the hospitality industry and campus involvement. A panel of faculty members selected Ludwig to receive the honor along with a $1,000 scholarship.

Each award recipient is recognized throughout the university community as having shown truly exceptional work and received a commemorative plaque and a cash award for their commendable efforts at �鶹ӳ����ý.

Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching

Jeremy Townsend is a graduate research assistant and doctoral candidate at �鶹ӳ����ý’s Institute of Exercise Physiology and Wellness.  Townsend plays an integral role in teaching students in the Sport and Exercise Science program and has taught courses in Introduction to Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology Lab, and Nutrition and Metabolism where his enthusiasm has earned exceptional student ratings.  By integrating his research into teaching, Townsend is able to deliver knowledge to the classroom that has not yet made it into the textbooks. His incorporation of cutting-edge research into the classroom engages students and separates Jeremy from other teachers.

Townsend is described by his mentor, Dr. Fragala, as a student who “displays the highest academic merit and remarkable contributions to teaching our students…He has superior academic drive, ‘attacks’ a topic and is not satisfied until he demonstrates total understanding. It is clear that his deep desire to learn as a student is rooted in his desire to extend his ever-expanding knowledge in the classroom.” Townsend’s passion and commitment to infusing his class material with current and relevant information captivates his students and distinguishes him as an exceptional instructor.

Award for Excellence by a Graduate Teaching Assistant

Alvar Rodriguez Garrigues is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Physics and the leading GTA in a project to completely renovate and modernize the laboratories associated to the calculus-based introductory physics course.  The lab experiments have been completely redesigned from scratch to enhance interaction amongst the students, instructor, and material.  Rodriguez Garrigues helped to conceptualize, design, develop, and implement the new methodology and volunteered to instruct the pilot courses and trained the rest of the GTAs assigned to teach these courses. He is now expanding the project into an algebra-based course.

Rodriguez Garrigues’ tireless commitment to developing these innovations made him integral to the success of this project, for which he was honored as the 2012 Outstanding Physics Teaching Assistant Award by the American Association of Physics Teachers. With a bright teaching future ahead, Rodriguiz Garrigues says, “I know that this is just the beginning of something bigger.”

Award for Outstanding Master’s Thesis

Steven M. Kraft, graduate of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering MS was awarded the Outstanding Master’s Thesis for The Characterization of the Effects of Stress Concentrations on the Mechanical Behavior of Micronic Woven Wire Mesh.

During his career at �鶹ӳ����ý, Kraft has developed an incredible publication record and served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in �鶹ӳ����ý’s MMAE Department and as a Mechanical Engineer at Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control Group.  Kraft became involved in research in 2009, where he began to demonstrate his persistence, attention to detail, thorough understanding of mechanics of materials, and high level of creativity in problem-solving.  Kraft says, “I felt like I could be a part of building a reputation of prestige at �鶹ӳ����ý,” and that is exactly what he has done. As a student, Kraft “has quietly raised the expectation level for research excellence for both undergraduate and graduate level students.” His thesis work for his MS in Mechanical Engineering resulted in the development of a new anisotropic elasticity and plasticity theory for materials used in homeland security and water reclamation applications. His work is described as “topically mutually exclusive from any other written dissertation or thesis work done at �鶹ӳ����ý” and “a quintessential effort in mechanics of materials combining experimental, computational, and theoretical mechanics.” Kraft’s extraordinary thesis research has already received multiple citations from third party authors. Of receiving his award, Kraft says, “This award really speaks to the excellent researchers involved with Mechanics of Materials Research Group at �鶹ӳ����ý (and of course the PI Dr. Ali P. Gordon). It is truly a world class research group, and �鶹ӳ����ý should be proud!”

Award for Outstanding Dissertation

Yuanwei Zhang, PhD, a graduate of the Department of Chemistry, was awarded the Outstanding Dissertation for Squaraine Dyes, Design and Synthesis for Various Functional Materials Applications.

Dr. Zhang demonstrated his intelligence, resourcefulness, and productivity throughout his dissertation research as a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry. He is an accomplished small molecule and polymer synthetic chemist with substantial experience and aptitude in numerous physical characterization techniques. Throughout his student career, Yuanwei easily grasped concepts and required little guidance as he “identified a number of new directions to explore” in which he was highly successful. His dissertation research focused on the modulation of optical properties of materials through supramolecular assembly, resulting in enhancements in his field and publications and significant contributions to papers in leading journals, such as Langmuir, Biomaterials, Biomedical Optic Express and ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.